Flick + Z Energy

The future of energy

Flick Electric Co. and Z Energy have long been heading down the same path: developing business strategies and tools to drive fundamental improvements to the energy experience of New Zealanders, while at the same time improving the environmental track record of our energy consumption.

Now, Flick and Z are officially partnering up to work together on a joint vision of New Zealand’s best energy future. To celebrate the partnership, our CEO, Steve, has written about how we can harness transformational global shifts for the benefit of Kiwi power consumers (AKA all of us!) Check it out here.

Want to know more about how Flick and Z will be partnering? We’ve put together some quick notes to run you through facts and figures.

There's no such thing as a silly question

Questions? We've got answers

What’s the deal?

We’ve become friends with some awesome benefits! Z has come on board as an investor in Flick and we plan on combining our tech and electricity superpowers with their retail and operations superpowers to bring as much genuine energy choice as possible to as many people as possible. We’re blimmin’ excited, it must be said!

Are you saying Z has bought up Flick?

Nope - no takeovers over here. Z’s investment is about a partnership that opens up opportunities for both companies and, most importantly, for our customers.

Flick is where we are today because we’ve worked alongside our Flicksters - we want to continue growing our potential as a business so that we can continue to offer the fairest - and most innovative - deal in town. Z’s investment will help us deliver more choice and more control to electricity consumers nationwide.

The nitty gritty of the agreement? Z has taken a shareholding percentage of 70.1%, with an investment of $46 Million.

What will the partnership be about?

In a nutshell: we’ll be giving customers more options for solutions to their energy needs, whether at home or on the roads. Now that’s something to #FlickYeah about!

You’re saying Z is about the future of energy, but don’t they just have fuel stations?

Z is a transport energy provider - and one committed to a low carbon future at that! They’ve already put their money where their mouth is by building the country’s first biodiesel plant and installing EV chargers at some of their busiest Z service stations.

This partnership is an evolution of their current strategy and we’re stoked to be helping drive it (pun totally intended!).

I’m a happy Flickster, will this change anything for me?

We reckon that you’ll be an even happier Flickster! Why? With the retail superpowers and resources of Z backing us, we’ll be able to accelerate our product development - based on our Flickster feedback and using some of the best tech out there. And that can only mean great things for our customers!

Will I have to pay more for my power?

Nope. This partnership makes no difference to how we pass through the price of power to Flicksters, and it doesn’t impact what spot price is available on the wholesale market.

Will this investment mean that Flick changes?

Think of this partnership as a meeting of the minds: Z Energy and Flick chose each other. It does not mean that Z has some grand plan to change us - pretty much the opposite. We’re going to work together to determine how to get more Kiwis on board as Flicksters and to offer more innovative solutions that meet their energy needs.
We’ll maintain our values, our commitment to consumer advocacy and our focus on transforming the electricity retail experience.

It’s a plain fact that the energy industry is grappling with dirty ole’ emissions and what to do about ‘em.

It’s a complex knot that drives the business strategies of Flick and Z. We’re both absolutely committed to progressing Aotearoa to a zero carbon future. In fact, Z’s CEO Mike Bennetts spearheaded the Climate Leaders’ Coalition to bring together some of the biggest emitters in NZ business to actively and transparently work on the problem - and Flick was one of the first 60 companies to sign up.

In the meantime, we think that going into partnership with Z will broaden Flick’s opportunity to make a positive impact on national emissions. How? Through Z’s investment, we aim to get more Kiwis on board as Flicksters. That’s more Kiwis educated about load shifting and its impact on the natural environment, and more Kiwis getting amongst our world-first personalised carbon counter, CHOICE! Excellent.

For their part, the Z team reckons that this partnership with Flick is a significant step in their commitment towards the world beyond traditional fossil fuels.